It's obvious that our society has changed. It used to be that marriage was considered to be a goal of most Americans and a mark of a successful life. That is no longer true. People are delaying getting married these days until they get an education, or establish themselves in a job, or get on a firmer financial foundation, and some people are finding that they can get along fine without ever being married. None of these things were true 40 or 50 years ago.
And if a recent CBS News poll is correct, the perception of marriage in general has changed. According to the poll, seven in ten Americans say that marriage is a weaker institution than it was 20 years ago. And even if people do get married, the chances of that marriage lasting a lifetime is very slim these days. Divorces are easier to get and no longer stigmatize the individual.
I think the sexual freedom caused by the birth control pill, and which exploded across this country in the 60s and 70s, also contributes to there being less marriages. Where a person, especially a woman had to get married to have sex in the past (or lose respect of many others), that is no longer true. Sex outside of marriage is common in our society for both men and women, and is not generally considered to be related to one's morals.
This does not mean that people no longer want to be in a committed relationship. They have just discovered that being in a committed relationship doesn't have to involve marriage. Many couples live together for years in a committed relationship without or before getting married. The point is that marriage is no longer considered to be the most important thing by many couples.
One oddity is that while homosexual couples are fighting for the right to get married, many heterosexual couples are finding they can get along just fine without marriage.
There are those that want to believe that marriage has always been the institution that it is today in this country. That's just not true. Marriage is different today than it was in the ancient world, or the middle ages, or at other times in history. It has always been an evolving institution that changes to meet the needs of the society.
The real question is does our modern society still need marriage at all, or is it a dying institution? Only more time will answer that question.
Good blog… This one got me thinking.
ReplyDeleteI’m sure that at one time, marriage was a good way to make sure the womenfolk were cared for… If a female was sitting on the street starving, you could ask, “Who is responsible for this this woman? Where’s her husband? Where’s her dad?”
Now that the men have been kind enough to let women WORK for money and all, the dynamic has changed.
Is it needed? There are ways to accomplish everything that marriage provides while still NOT getting married. But marriage comes with a whole bundle of legal rights, and people still think along those lines in relationships, so… I think that marriage will be around for a long time to come, although certain legal aspects of it might change, and fewer and fewer people will probably see it as necessary.
My simple answer is NO!
ReplyDeleteThe longer answer is that so long as the legal system recognizes marriage as something special then it is totally necessary.
The reasons for marriage are two fold (the 3rd religion is BS. 1-tax incentives for married couples and kids. Get rid of the tax incentive and it starts to be simpler.
2-legal...primarily divorce. This is solved by using a simple contract that states the agreed parts. This would also make divorce easier and less costly in public funds thru trials.
As far religion is concerned it just gives the male the right to beat the schite out of the woman on terrorize her and the kids. They can get religiously married if they wish but without the civil contract well good luck and tough schite in the future.